


Who I'd Be

by LuxAndLight



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fighting, Fox! Chen, Gen, Kung Fu Panda! AU, M/M, Self-Discovery, Self-Doubt, Snow Leopard! Minseok, Very Wonky Timelines, as per usual
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:02:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28815327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuxAndLight/pseuds/LuxAndLight
Summary: All Minseok ever wanted was to keep a low profile, sell his wares, and live his life in solitude as much as possible.But how could he do all three if he was suddenly chosen as the Dragon Warrior?
Relationships: Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Minseok | Xiumin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 36
Collections: Vargavinter Round 1





	Who I'd Be

**Author's Note:**

> Definitely not my best work, but I'm happy with it nonetheless! Thank you to the prompter for such a compelling prompt and advanced apologies if it didn't turn out how you would expect it to go,
> 
> But anyway, I still hope you enjoy this ride!

The faint bell resonating in the distance rang through the Valley of Peace in heavy but even sounds, signaling the start of a new day for the villagers. It should be enough to lift Minseok from his slumber despite the sound being delivered at the opposite end of the valley...and if he was asleep, that is. But the snow leopard was already up and at it before early rays of the sun filtered through the bamboo reeds walls that painted his room in a soft glow, enough for him to take in his surroundings with his sharp, almond eyes.

He was just finishing off the morning routine that he knew by heart. Shaking off the minuscule amount of dust that accumulated on his sheet through the night, Minseok finally turned around and hung it on the small hooks with as much grace as he could unconsciously muster before giving it one last tug to straighten it out on the wall. 

Minseok spent his time perfecting his craft, and by craft, he meant his incredibly intricate morning routine that he had lived with for most of his life. He prides himself on being as neat as possible, but that won’t help him in his predicament. Placing a paw on the cotton, Minseok gave a sigh. If only his life could be like this ivory sheet and be straightened out with a mere pull, but looking back at his current situation, he’ll need more than a yank to smoothen out the mess he had gotten himself into.

Feeling his ears suddenly twitch, Minseok turned away from the sheet to place his focus back on the sound of the bell. That would be its tenth strike and Minseok’s signal to leave, lest he gets caught in the obligatory greeting to the High Master. The snow leopard opened his room window in the eleventh strike and was out by the twelfth, the faint greeting of “good morning, master” the last thing he heard before he landed gracefully on one of the many stone steps that graced the mountain.

Fastening the loose silver strap back on his blue vest, Minseok took one more look at the barracks, then to the nearby training hall, before fleeing inwards where he knew led to the Jade Palace. Walking down the twists and turns of the sacred building, he soon stopped at the room he knew almost by heart, which was surprising considering he had just been in this place for little over a month.

“Who are you?”

“Master Yixing!” Minseok fumbled with the scrolls he was holding, placing them to the side as soon as the High Master came into view before bowing deeply towards him. 

Master Yixing calmly raised a hand to straighten the bowing boy before going back to stroke his beard. “Interesting, I am also called Master Yixing.”

“Uh, no sir,” Minseok mumbled, “That’s not what I meant.”

The sheep tilts his head. “Am I not Master Yixing?”

“N-no, sir-master Yi一” Minseok takes a deep breath to calm his racing heart and cool down his beet-red face. “I am Minseok, master.”

“And what is Minseok doing here at this golden hour?” Master Yixing hummed before tapping his staff twice on the jade floor. “Ah, they say that the Dragon Warrior can harness all the knowledge of these scrolls by a mere touch.”

Minseok took one look at the scroll in his tail’s hold before setting it down with an embarrassed laugh. “Can-can they really?”

Master Yixing shrugged. “I don’t know.” He then moves towards the edge of one pillar to aloofly scratch his spiral horns against it. “I’m not the Dragon Warrior.”

“Well, neither am I.” Minseok quietly replied, taking another scroll before sorting it with the others. “But yet here I am, off to become this valley’s protector with little to no knowledge of what Kung Fu is. So, I just, y’know, take care of these scrolls or whatever.”

Master Yixing hums, turning away from the pillar. “One should not start the day upset, lest they bring about a headache as they sleep.”

“Upset? Who-who said that I was upset?” 

The sheep gives a patient smile. “One does not go to the Room of a Thousand Scrolls on a good day just to sort them.”

“Oh,” Minseok dropped the parchment he was holding. “I thought there were probably only a hundred or two in this room...”

Master Yixing moves closer to the fidgeting feline with a curious look. “Why _are_ you upset?”

“Well, I...b-but don’t you already know?” Minseok asks incredulously. “You’re the All-seeing Sheep of China.”

“I do.” Master Yixing replies smoothly, turning away from the snow leopard to inspect one of the walls lined with the cylinder parchments. “But do you?”

Minseok opens his mouth but loses a beat to reply as he was caught off-guard. He had always heard that this All-seeing sheep was blunt, but sometimes he didn’t make sense or was just forgetful.

Collecting himself, he replies, “Of course! I’m going to be the Dragon Warrior when I should be carting my wares halfway across China. Now I have to do this balancing act of learning Kung Fu and finding ways on how to get the people to like me.”

He sighs. “Ironic, isn’t it? I’m destined to protect the very people that hate me because I was chosen to be in a family tree that bore historical weight, and not the good kind.”

“Trees,” Master Yixing hummed, picking up a scroll. “Are more than just their roots. And also their kind. There could be peach trees, apple trees, pear trees一”

“Yes, yes, that is the truth.” Minseok sighs, dejectedly placing another scroll in the small alcove. “But to be honest, you should be telling that to the Furious Five and the people of the Valley.”

“That there are pear trees?”

“W-what? No, no, about the first one.” Minseok hops a little to get to the higher alcoves to no avail. “At least they’ll believe your word.”

“And how can they believe mine if you can’t even trust your own?”

Minseok staggered at this and almost dropped the group of parchment he was holding, catching one of them just in time with his tail. “But-but I was just a traveling merchant before all of _this_ and before you just-so-happened to choose me.”

“The _universe_ chose you.”

“But where will I even start?” Minseok sighed. “The others are already on their way while I’m just beginning. I may be a descendant of...you-know-who, but I don’t even know the first thing of Kung Fu.”

The snow leopard’s whiskers twitched despondently as he awaited the wise sheep’s verdict. A tiny part of his mind wished he could just be handed the answer and spare him from whatever proverbial hoo-haa that old wisdom was usually brought with, but he knew he wouldn’t get it that easy. None of the aspects of his life came easy.

“A journey of a thousand miles,” Master Yixing tapped at the floor in front of Minseok with his cane. “Begins at one’s feet.”

Looking down, Minseok wasn’t surprised to see dozens of parchments almost burying his paws. “But which one is it?”

“I don’t know.” Master Yixing shrugged aloofly, but he took the scroll he was holding before reaching it out towards the snow leopard. “Why don’t you begin your journey and find out?”

Receiving it with a bow, Minseok was about to unroll the parchment from the ageing bamboo when a rapid ringing of a bell sounded throughout the room. 

Minseok glanced at Master Yixing, who just nodded in return. “Protect the valley, Minseok.”
    
    
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Minseok ducked as another flaming arrow whizzed past only inches to his flattened ears, scrambling towards another upturned cart to hide under all the mess of flying projectiles and limbs. Well, the limbs weren’t exactly _flying_ like the arrows, thank goodness, but were instead planting themselves on their enemies nonetheless. Still, to Minseok, the only planting he’ll ever get to do was himself to the closest cover, away from the raiders’ and even his fellow group’s hardened glares.

If the past Dragon Warriors were to look at him now, they would have passed again from sheer shame from what their successor was doing. But technically, he wasn’t the Dragon Warrior yet, per se, considering that he hadn’t received the Dragon Scroll from the High Master of the Jade Palace (not that he was going to get it anytime soon). 

Time and place aligned with the stars and brought about this story that none of them ever wanted, yet if fate wanted to play this game, then they had no choice but to play their part.

“Retreat!”

The deep bellow echoed through the chaos before the sounds of the fight gradually quietened. Flicking his tail nervously, Minseok slowly crawled out from the ruined cabbages and radishes to the edge of the cart before poking his head out. Other than the raid’s usual carnage, the street was void of the horned or fanged bandits sans the lone crocodile running away in the distance. 

Letting out a sigh, the snow leopard weaseled his way out of his hiding place before一

“Minseok?!”

The Dragon Warrior felt someone barrel into him before they both rolled painfully on the cobblestone path. The moment Minseok heard the growl clashing with his pained whine sent his fur standing straight up from fright. Did he...he had just一

“Why you little-!”

He felt himself get pulled up by the scruff of his vest, bi-colored eyes meeting with the fiery yellow ones of a white tiger. Uh oh.

“What are you doing?! The only thing we asked was for you not to get in the way.” He felt himself get thrown back onto the pavement. “But I guess you couldn’t do that too, now can you? If only you knew how to fight, but then again, your bloodline doesn’t deserve Kung Fu after what _he_ has done.”

Eyes wide, Minseok could only move back pitifully from the fuming tiger as the latter reared back his fist. Knowing he can’t outspeed the fiery master’s attack, the snow leopard ducked his head under his outstretched arms as if that would make much of a difference, but it’s the least that his body can do to protect itself from the white tiger’s fiery rage.

“Chanyeol!”

Minseok heard the paw meeting paw, but most definitely didn’t feel the white tiger’s fist connecting with his. A short breeze blew through his fur before he was able to pry his eyes open to see a familiar forest-green robe in front of him, the owner’s orange and black ears twitching in annoyance as his lithe hand gripped the tiger’s larger one.

“This is our Dragon Warrior, Chanyeol.” The fox hissed, “Master Yixing said to respect him like he’s one of us, which he _is_.”

“Don’t kid yourself, Jongdae. I don’t _have_ respect for his bloodline.”

“Chanyeol.” A stern voice broke through the tense atmosphere. “Be civil.”

Chanyeol glanced at the owner of the voice to challenge him just like he did to Jongdae, yet he faltered under the rabbit’s stare of indifference. With a “yes, Suho” and one last menacing glare at Minseok, he shook his fist out of Jongdae’s hold before storming off towards the rest of the group. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo stood waiting in the sidelines, unsure of what to do yet not surprised anymore by the tiger’s hostility to their newest addition to the team.

Before Minseok realized what happened, he was already up on his feet courtesy of the fox before him. Jongdae gave an apologetic smile despite not being the perpetrator himself.

“I’m sorry for that, again.” He hopefully adds, “Don’t worry, he’ll come by...eventually. They’re just a bit stressed that raiders are arriving in the valley in tenfold.”

“Perhaps the villain’s offspring may have something to do with it?” Chanyeol wonders aloud, feigning a puzzled look with his whiskers in between his finger pads. “And there’s a ploy and we’re compromising every single secret we have to the _enemy._ ”

Jongdae groans, “Master Yixing said一”

“I have ears, Jongdae. You don’t have to remind me every single fucking time.” He seethed, “But at least _I_ know what to expect, especially coming from Tai Lung’s _kin._ ”

After his name was uttered, hearing the Valley people mutters forced Minseok to duck his head and hasten his pace, lest he get pelted with moldy fruit like last time. He’s had enough vegetables for today. 

Standing at the edge of the ungodly amount of steps before the Jade Palace, Minseok silently watched as the Furious Five worked their way up to their destination with speed and grace. Kyungsoo and Suho took the high way with the latter safely on the back of the owl while Chanyeol and Baekhyun raced each other on the tree-dotted side of the mountain, the monkey leading with his cheeky taunts with the tiger not so far behind. 

“Hey.” 

Minseok jumps at the sudden call, arms raising upwards in an attempt to protect his vitals from an upcoming attack. A tiny piece of his mind wants to congratulate himself for perfecting that to a T since the moment he became the Dragon Warrior, but then again, what good will it do against a raging bull with its horns down towards him?

Thankfully, the snow leopard immediately relaxes the moment he sees an emerald-robed fox peering at him instead of a hulking figure barreling towards him, a silent question at the tip of his tongue as he saw his concerned gaze. Yet, Minseok shook it off and turned the other way as he began his trek towards the palace.

“And what will I be of service of, Master Jongdae?”

“Again with the honorifics. It’s just Jongdae to you, Minseok.” He grinned, “Company’s all I ask for now. Consider this as bonding with the teammate, a friend, or whatever you want to call me.”

Minseok, knowing where this conversation will be headed, proceeds not to entertain his small talk and beelines straight to the topic at hand. Trying his best not to fiddle with the frayed edge of his vest, he spoke.

“They say that man yearns for company to ease his troubled mind.” He began, “What troubles does this yearning man have?”

“After the events of today, I think you might have an idea on a few.” Jongdae smoothly replies, “Look, I know you must be sick of me talking to you every time we’ve dispersed the raids, but we can’t keep doing this forever.”

“I’m not asking you to defend me every time Master Chanyeol wants to pummel my face.” Minseok chuckles mirthlessly.

“That’s another elephant in the room, but we’ll get to that later.” Jongdae waves his hand, “Rock.”

Minseok heeds the warning as he sidestepped from a rather pointy-looking stone without turning away from his companion. “But for now?”

“For now, I can offer to teach you the basics at your pace. You’re never really around the Training Hall so I thought you had a problem with it一”

Minseok raised his hand, as always, and cut him off. “I appreciate the gesture, Master Jongdae, but it won’t be necessary.”

“But I insist! The raiders are increasing in numbers.”

“So you’ll need all the help you can get?”

“What I mean is that you can get killed!”

“If that’s what the universe wants, so be it.” Minseok shrugged, “They put me in this mess in the first place.”

Minseok was surprised to see the Jade Palace so close in the horizon, but perhaps he just didn’t take notice of the time. If the slight heat given off by his legs was of any indication, he had just survived another trek just like the day before and the day before that and so on. And as expected, his sour mood from earlier had lightened into a bad aftertaste.

“Besides, what I don’t know, I can’t use.” Minseok sliced his paw through the air unenthusiastically as a pale imitation of the actions Jongdae and the others used against the raiders earlier. “All of you must be having collective sighs of relief since I can’t even break a board properly.” 

“Or even attend training.” Jongdae muttered, “But you know how the saying goes. ‘One often meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it’.”

“But isn’t that what you all want me to do? To not be like my ancestor?” The snow leopard questioned, deaf to the fox’s opposition. “I appreciate your invitation, but for my safety and your sanity, I decline.”

Silence accompanied them through the rest of the flight of stairs until they were finally in front of the palace’s grand doors. Minseok turned back to Jongdae to give one final bow before opting to retreat to the Scroll Room, yet he faltered in his steps when he felt a lithe hand grab at his paw.

“But at least join the meeting next week...”

Minseok didn’t know what was preventing him from ripping his hand away from the other, nor what made his heart suddenly hasten, but after much effort, he finally took control and gently pried his paw from the other’s grip with an unsure flick of his ear and a sigh. 

“I apologize, Master Jongdae, but I should be going now.”

An unfamiliar feeling blooms in his chest the moment he hears the fox give a sad sigh, but he doesn’t hear footfalls following him as he walks toward the direction of the Barracks. The feeling rose into a crescendo the moment he dared to look back and see a dejected Jongdae walking the opposite direction, yet it settled into a dull ache when he turned the corner, and the jade pillars filled his vision.

He must have been hit in the head too hard.
    
    
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“The raiders are growing in numbers with every encounter.”

“I’ve spotted another gang entering Kroc’s territory. It’s no surprise if they came to negotiate.”

“Many of them have been seeing how successful the Kroc is and they’re joining by the minute!”

Despite being few in numbers, the Furious Five managed to fill the early nighttime air with stressed growls and exhausted sighs. Voices were talking over each other, and shadows danced around the Training Hall in sporadic waves that it was hard to tell whose was whose. The cold atmosphere should have provided some sort of comfort to the snow leopard, but with the negative energy surrounding the area, it proved to be easier said than done.

It was the fist banging on the table that almost made Minseok chicken out of his plan, but he spent far too long hiding behind the semi-closed door of the structure to leave just like that. What does he have to lose anyway?

So with a deep breath, Minseok rapped on the ageing wood and waited for the voices to quieten and almost silent footfalls nearing his position. He didn’t even get the time to rethink his actions before a familiar golden-furred monkey greeted him with a wide grin and ushered him inside.

Suho was standing anxiously on their table, foot tapping impatiently on the wood as he seemed to be putting together parchment on the surface. He glances briefly at whoever could be disturbing them at such an hour before going back to his task when it finally sinks in that it was Minseok. In the Training Hall.

“Dragon Warrior,” Suho gave a bow. “What a surprise. Who’s spirit made you step into this place?”

Minseok tried his best not to glance at the wide-eyed fox in the corner. “A very persuasive one.”

“Fair enough.” He straightened and beckoned for another member that was in front of him. “Kyungsoo, bring the Dragon Warrior up to speed, if you please.”

The owl fluttered down gently from his perch and back onto the ground, careful not to mess up what Suho was doing with the paper. Kyungsoo fixes his earth-brown robe before gesturing to the table with his wing.

“The raiders’ efforts had been doubled since their last attack a week prior to the current one.” He picked out more parchment from beneath his robe and laid them out on the table. “I’ve spotted several different gangs uniting under his command, including infamous names and faces from all around China: The Zhang sisters, Vyul Tur’s fleet一”

“The Midnight Pack,” Baekhyun adds.

“-As well as other groups whose acquaintances with Kroc are kept under wraps.” Kyungsoo’s feathers bristle ever-so-lightly in frustration before it all evens out again with a deep exhale. “They’re all joining forces and they’re targeting this valley and this valley only.”

Chanyeol snorts, “Ever wondered why?”

Minseok took no heed of the sneering tiger and took the seat adjacent to him, missing how Jongdae subtly whacks the other master’s side with his tail in lieu of a scolding. “What does this Kroc want anyway?”

“Fame, power, it’s what every thief wants for himself while bringing us down in the process.” Kyungsoo replies, “The previous generation had built a reputation for being the valley’s unpassable wall of defense.”

“Let’s just hope that we won’t be the ones who’ll crack.” Suho said with finality, not even bothering to look up from his work.

“The recent raids aren’t even them all-together. Who knows what will be in store for us when they _do_ attack all at once.”

“And when do you think that will happen?”

“Whatever it is, we need to be ready for it.”

“But how can we prepare for something we have no knowledge about?”

“Do we have a choice? This is your valley and your people we’re talking about.” Minseok responds, voice as steady as he could manage. “Besides, you already have some, if not, more of those who chose to side with Kroc or whatever his name was. We can start from there and work our way up to the leader himself.”

Silence fills the Training Hall the moment Minseok finished making his point and the snow leopard was suddenly conscious of every pair of eyes staring at him. But despite keeping his own trained to the parchment on the table, he could still tell that the gazes were less...aggressive, so to say.

“A fair point has been made.” Suho finally concludes, patting his paw on the side of his arm. “Whoever this spirit may be must be overjoyed to see you participating in the discussion.”

“And even say full sentences without stammering.” Chanyeol chuckled, though no venom was laced in the comment.

“What plan do you have in mind, Dragon Warrior?” Kyungsoo questions.

After a short bout of silence, Minseok places a claw on the raid leader’s fading wanted poster. “We need to cut the snake by its head,” He says, “Especially when he keeps popping up in every raid they’ve had.”

“He’ll be looking more like a weasel than a crocodile if he keeps that up.” Baekhyun giggles, “But Dragon Warrior has a point. Most of his lackeys were recruited with easy riches, and so if we take care of the mastermind, they’ll be scattering back from where they came.”

“But you all seem to be forgetting them.” Chanyeol placed a claw on the parchment that showcased the infamous criminals before throwing a lazy finger at Minseok. “And him too. No offense, but you’ll be just as much of a liability as the villagers in the raids.”

“Unless you know Kung Fu.” Jongdae suddenly chimes in.

Alarmed, Minseok glances at the fox, who gave him a shy but cheeky grin. That was the first time the snow leopard heard him speak since the meeting continued with his presence, and the more he had thought about it, the more he could tell that this wasn’t just by coincidence. But as he opened his mouth to protest, he felt Suho’s clap his paws as if he was given the answer to all his problems.

“That’s it!” He cheerfully cries, “You might even get your Dragon Scroll and unlock the limitless power of the universe. How honorable!”

“We’re forgetting one thing though. The Dragon Warrior doesn’t fight, much less be taught how to.” For once in his life, Minseok finds himself siding on the tiger on that one. He’ll have to give him credit on how一

“But Kung Fu isn’t all about fighting now, is it?”

Surprised, Minseok glanced at Chanyeol and tried to find some indication that he was sarcastic, but the white tiger had a genuine expression of determination and passion that left no room for it to be called a front.

“Kung Fu is all about discipline and using that for what you believe in.” Kyungsoo confirms, lessening Minseok’s chances of speaking up against the notion since all of the Five are in favor of the entire ordeal. “The sooner you’ll improve your balance on the Floor of Flames, the better.”

“But一”

“Excuse me, Soo, but the Dragon Warrior will have to work on his reaction time first.” Suddenly, Baekhyun whisks Minseok away from the table so that they face the course. “I can’t wait to have you here! How about a test run on the moving dummies, hmm?”

“He’ll have to work on his pounce first if he ever wants to land a hit on them.”

Now Minseok was thoroughly confused and nervous as soon as Chanyeol had joined the fray, bickering with the other two masters on what part of the training course he’ll get to experience first. It was almost refreshing to hear the Five so full of hope despite their apparent setbacks and disadvantages. Still, the last thing Minseok wanted to do was to misconstrue them into thinking he’ll actually do it.

Taking a deep breath, Minseok steps away from Baekhyun’s hold. Just like a band-aid, then.

“I deeply apologize, but it’s still a no from me.” 

The room dissolves into silence, and he could feel the disappointed gazes of all five masters. Minseok had half the decency to feel sorry that his final decision on the matter had upset them, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit irked at their reactions.

To think that they were all using that very expression for the past months whenever he was merely in their presence, especially when during his unintentional sabotage on Chanyeol’s attempt to capture Kroc the week before. But now that he’d rejected their offer into spending more time with them, they were disappointed in him yet again.

“Minseok, please give it another thought.”

“Jongdae spent months trying to convince us that you were a carbon copy of your selfish ancestor. This could be your one chance in proving him right!”

“And I am. By refusing to learn Kung Fu, I can’t harm anyone.”

“But you also can’t protect either.” Kyungsoo refutes, “By refusing to uphold your responsibility of protecting the Valley, you’re siding with the oppressor and his thirst for chaos.”

“It’s not like Kung Fu itself is going to make you evil.” “But when influenced with selfishness, it does.”

Minseok felt cornered. Under the intense gazes of most of the Five, anyone with a will of a fragile reed would have succumbed to their arguments. 

But the snow leopard merely laughed.

Raising his bowed head, his feline eyes bore through every single one of their souls. His gaze was steely and determined, even unnerving the undeterred masters from their places. When his bi-colored orbs met with Jongdae’s soft yellow ones, he could see the other four shift closer to him from around his focus.

“So, this was your plan all along? To get me to fold under pressure because of the presence of the Five?” He snapped, “But while that almost worked and I’m currently terrified as fuck, I still stand by what I believe in. And now if you’ll excuse me,”

Minseok turned around to leave but was instead pushed back by Jongdae, much to his surprise. When had he…?

“What are you so afraid of?” Jongdae cries out. Minseok felt the unnamed feeling return to his chest as he stood his ground against the fox, yet the mixture of that sensation along with the guilt of seeing the most optimistic member bristle his fur and tail at him was enough to tighten his chest uncomfortably. “You claim you’re not like Tai Lung yet you refuse to speak of Kung Fu and abandon your responsibilities as the Dragon Warrior.”

“Don’t...you don’t get it, do you? Not knowing Kung Fu is the only way I can show that I won’t _be_ like him!” Minseok refutes, “Even if I scream to the high heavens that I won’t follow his footprints, would you believe me?” He turns around to meet the eyes of the rest of the Five. “Would any of you?”

“Yes!” Jongdae answered immediately, “Right guys? Guys?”

It didn’t take Minseok to look around the room for him to confirm his case. Their unsure silence was enough of an answer.

“You may have convinced them that me learning how to fight would be beneficial to us since I’m the Dragon Warrior, but you’ll never erase the fact that I’m an infamous Kung Fu master’s offspring.” Minseok laughed humorously. “The fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

“But two fruits from the same tree may still roll down the hill in separate paths.” Jongdae insists, “Please Minseok, let me show you that Kung Fu should not - should never - be feared. You can prove all of us that you’re more than just Tai Lung’s great grandchild.”

Jongdae took a confident step forward and stretched his hand towards Minseok, stopping only inches away from the snow leopard so that he would have to make the decision himself. Meanwhile, the latter only flattened his ears in indecision, tail moving restlessly behind him from one side to the other, just like how he was teetering between the decisions he would have to make.

Gazing at the training course behind the fox, it was almost as if the building itself was calling out to him. His heart beating in sync with the subtle swings of the bladed rings suspended on the ceiling, and the excellent tortoise shell in the center beckoning for him to try it out. 

Looking back at the other masters and seeing their urging and hopeful stares brought Minseok a sense of home-like he’d never experienced before, but that’s what struck fear into his heart. Taking a deep breath, he faced Jongdae once again.

“Kung Fu will always be a gift to all of you and to your people, but to me.” Minseok chuckled, “As Master Chanyeol said, my bloodline doesn’t deserve it.”

Raising his hand to silence the white tiger’s opposition, Minseok brushed past the fox and escaped into the night.
    
    
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“Master Yixing,” Minseok startles, bowing deeply before awkwardly standing before the scroll room as the sheep moved around the room, undeterred. “We - I mean, uh, - they just finished taking care of the raiders. Shall I fetch Master Suho for the report?”

Master Yixing paused in his endeavors to take a fleeting glance at the snow leopard before turning back to his efforts of piling the scrolls together in even, symmetrical pyramids. As Minseok took a good look at the room, he soon realized that there were dozens of similar structures all around the place, making it easier to see the dusty green jade that was the floor. Well, that’s one less problem on the list.

“Who are you?”

“Minseok, Master Yixing.”

Minseok was starting to wonder if the High Master’s way of tolerating his presence was to forget who he was every time they met, but it definitely beats the heavy stares and scrutinizing glares the Furious Five used to give by miles.

Note the past tense there, since all they give him now ranges from sad gazes to actively avoiding his presence, mostly on the latter. Despite the confrontation being a few days ago, their actions around him tell as if it had been done the day before. Minseok wasn’t sure if he preferred this more than their former activities, but the more he sees the Five, the more he’s reminded of his decision. It was for the greater good, wasn’t it?

“Two people meant four helping hands...six if you’re Baekhyun.” Master Yixing giggles quietly at his own joke before turning back to his work. “Watch your step.”

After a nervous breath, Minseok slowly circled his way around the small pyramids, carefully tiptoeing through the small gaps while making sure not to bump into the structure itself. He was more than confident that he looked like a dancing goose to the High Master, but at least he wasn’t making a mess of一

“Ah!”

Minseok found himself on his back.

Master Yixing giggled absentmindedly, placing another scroll on his forked staff before raising it up to the higher alcoves. “You’ll learn with time.”

Rubbing his sore bottom, Minseok gave the High Master a questioning look. “With time?”

“Might as well finish what you’ve started, no?” He walks over to Minseok before giving him a feather duster. “I’ll be teaching you quite a few important things.”

Standing up, Minseok piles the ruined pyramid into the neatest mess he can create before shimmying to his space in the room to continue where he last left off before the whole raider ordeal. 

“Like what?” Minseok carefully asked. He really didn’t want to abandon his safe space, but if the High Master wanted to teach him Kung Fu, he would have moved to the Ironwood forest instead.

“To clean.” Master Yixing smiled, “What else would we do here?”

Minseok shrugged, “I don’t know. I honestly thought you would force me to learn Kung Fu or something.”

“And why would I teach that which was already learned?” 

Minseok furrowed his brows at how so far away, the High Master sounded. So as turned around to pick up another scroll, he took a glance at where he last saw him and doubled over at the sight of the sheep in the highest shelves, balancing on top of his thin staff as the forked edge of it was wedged on a tiny crevice in between the alcoves.

He had almost toppled over as he swerved past the small pyramids, but nothing can snap him out of the awe he had put himself in.

“Kung Fu is in everything we see.”

Minseok found himself gaping as the High Master leisurely placed one scroll at a time inside the alcoves as if he were just standing on solid ground. 

His heart leapt to his throat as he witnessed the staff slip from the wedge, yet Master Yixing did not even bat an eye at it and immediately placed a scroll in another small nook and hooked one of his horns on it before he continued putting the parchment in the proper shelves. 

“Everything we touch.” After finishing his group, Master Yixing places two scrolls securely in his spiral horns before glancing at his fallen staff and shooting Minseok a grin.

Carefully avoiding yet another cluster of pyramids, Minseok warily picked up the wooden staff before tossing it horizontally towards the High Master. But instead of catching it like the snow leopard expected, Master Yixing jumped from his place on the wall and began stepping on his staff as if it were stairs, descending with swift, even steps.

With one strong kick at the end of his staff, it lands vertically in the center of four scroll pyramids and Master Yixing twirls gracefully into the air and lands on top of the other end. Not one of the cylindrical parchments were disrupted.

“And everything we do.”

Minseok swallowed nervously. “But I can’t do...that.”

“And I am not expecting you to.” He slowly bends the staff to the left. “Kung Fu is everywhere. It may be used to place these up there.” He hops down the long stick before catching it before it lands on the pyramids, immediately pointing it to Minseok, who stumbles back in shock. “Or against those who wish to harm that of the other.”

Collecting himself from his startle, Minseok brushes the staff away with his arm. “Yet there are times where the opposite is done, and Kung Fu is made to _harm._ ”

“While that may be true, the users who taint these sacred techniques do not prosper for long.” Master Yixing shrugs, finally placing his staff next to him.

“Leaving their damned history and their descendants to fend for themselves as they’re trapped in his shadow.”

“Shadows should not be feared, for their presence speaks of a light shining nearby.” The sheep replies, slowly turning towards the exit. “But that’s not what you truly fear now, is it?”

At Minseok’s confused look, Master Yixing widens his eyes slightly in understanding.

“Ahh, a muddled mind will soon clear like a rippled pond,” The High Master nods, “With time.”

“But what does that have to do with Kung Fu?”

Master Yixing turns around. “Master Po wanted food, Tai Lung wanted power. Both great users of Kung Fu, yet one bested the other _._ ” He paused. “Speaking of food, Kyungsoo is making his specialty. It would be lovely if you join us.”

The mention of supper was tempting, most especially after a long day. But after the memory yesternight’s confrontation immediately diminished whatever appetite he had and filled his stomach with guilt after he shouted at the only one in this place who bothered to be nice to him.

And so, Minseok merely nods in acknowledgement before turning away to occupy himself in a stack of scrolls.

“Very well, don’t stay here for too long, then. Solitude doesn’t do well with age.”

As Minseok sneaks a glance at the sheep’s retreating figure, he could barely contain an exhale of amazement as Master Yixing tossed the remaining two scrolls he had on his horns upwards. And with two consecutive kicks, he nailed both of them to their respective alcoves.

He gazed at Minseok and gave a curt bow before exiting the room.
    
    
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Minseok landed gently on the stone steps, back arching as the impact spread equally on all four of his limbs before disappearing without much of a sting. Perhaps his routine of sneaking out right before the morning bell had finally paid off. However, with the confrontation with Master Yixing a few days ago, he was still wary of going back to the Scroll Room, lest he faces another thought-provoking question that he could not answer.

He’s had enough on his plate for the past few weeks with the raids and the Furious Five and whatever. He’ll just have to go back to clean the room again once the entire ordeal blows over and he’ll get to breathe again without having anyone up on his tail. Let’s just hope that the months he spent cleaning that place won’t go to waste in the span of his absence.

Minseok turns to the beaten path that leads to the Ironwood forest, thinking of spending another afternoon there once more. Still, he doesn’t think he has the energy to wander around it again and satiate his boredom simultaneously. The village below would be out of the question considering that the Five would be going down there to scout for any potential signals that may indicate the next raid.

And so, with a few more minutes of thinking, he ultimately decides on a different route in the palace.

Soon the stairs dissolve into a cobbled path that narrows as they neared the edge of the mountain before it raised itself into yet another flight of stone, but as soon as he reached the top, he walked over to the wilting peach tree and placed a hand on its dry bark. 

It’s a surprise to see the tree still blooming fruit, but most of it ranged from minuscule to shriveled to downright rotten whilst still attached to the dying tree. The snow leopard heard brief conversations that the once-grand part of the palace won’t have long before a new one takes its place, yet they unanimously decided to let nature take its course in lieu of them taking it down by force.

The tree was supposed to be the symbol of longevity and renewal, but ironically, the tree lived long enough to mirror the other side of the spectrum, well, for Minseok’s case, at least.

Kneeling down in front of the only fruit that hadn’t blackened or decomposed, Minseok was surprised to see it as relatively normal as any peach can be, up until he picked it up and turned it around to see its other half dried out any decaying. Ah, and there it is—the perfect representation of what all the others see of him.

The fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree, after all.

“Good morning.”

A shadow loomed from behind, and Minseok turned around and instinctively threw the fruit at the direction of the voice, momentarily forgetting that he was on the edge of a cliff from the startle until gravity took hold of him and began pulling him down. Panicking, he tried to reach out for something to keep him from leaving the platform before a hand shot out and grabbed at his flailing arm.

With one firm tug, Minseok found himself back on the hill and on the ground. Or rather, on top of his savior.

Feeling his ears straighten in embarrassment, Minseok immediately stood up before helping the fox up, muttering a line of apologies as he dusted off the other’s emerald robe. He’s really going to get it now. He embarrassed the only person who bothered to be kind to him and messed up his morning. Looks like he won’t be saved from Chanyeol’s next一

“-ch?”

Minseok snapped out of his trance. “Pardon?”

Jongdae chuckled, raising his hand to reveal the fruit he threw at him. “I asked if you wanted your peach back.”

Suddenly, Minseok wanted to leap off the hill himself. He thanks the thick fur in his face that hid his blush, but his ears and tail could not settle. Of course, and to top it all off, he just threw rotten fruit at one of the Furious Five. Just great.

“Uh, it-it’s not mine,” He scratched his nape in embarrassment. “I just so happened to pick it up...from the ground...it came from the peach-the peach tree.”

His somber, self-deprecating mood immediately dissipated when the fox gave out a tinkling laugh that almost left Minseok gawking if he were just a tad more unfocused. 

The sound was definitely not rare, for he had heard it multiple times in the past months whenever Baekhyun landed a joke or when Chanyeol had gotten himself stuck in a large terracotta jar (that definitely wasn’t the most amusing sight Minseok had ever seen. No, not at all).

But hearing it at such close proximity made his stomach do some sort of weird flip. Was this another Kung Fu move? Minseok can’t pinpoint what it could be, but if there’s one thing’s for sure, it was working. He was suddenly all-too-aware that he was in the presence of the famous Lightning-born Master of Gaozu, but instead of feeling nervousness like he usually does with the rest of the Five or the High Master, it was...something else.

Finally realizing he was just staring in the distance, Minseok snapped out of his stupor with a nervous smile. “Master Jongdae, t一”

“I know, I know. You don’t want to go to learn Kung Fu for personal reasons and I get that一”

“Jongdae,” Minseok cut off, a wider smile gracing his feline lips. “Thank you.”

The fox was stunned, his wide ears turning to the side in confusion. “You...I...what-what for?”

“Well, you know,” Minseok shrugged, suddenly feeling conscious of the stare boring through his side. But for once in his life, it was anything but scathing. “For saving my tail during the raids, for understanding my situation, and for looking past all-” He gestures to himself. “-this.”

From the corner of his eye, the snow leopard can see Jongdae’s confusion turn back into his joyous demeanor as he let out another laugh. This would be the death of him, surely. But at least it was one of the few ways he could die without any form of resentment or regret, right? But before Minseok could swat that thought away (or delve deeper into it), Jongdae spoke up.

“First of all, I’m glad you _finally_ got rid of the honorifics. It was a pain to keep hearing, especially from you.” Jongdae chuckled, and Minseok’s stomach mimicked the same flip as before. “But back to the topic at hand, why wouldn’t I? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.” 

He took a step back and gently whacked the ageing tree with his tail. What would it feel to curl up in that bushy, orange一wait! Focus!

Minseok snapped out his reverie just in time to see two peaches dislodging from the branches and hitting the ground with a muted thump. Both of them rolled precariously towards the edge, yet only one had enough velocity of falling while the other stopped just in time on the cliff.

“See?” Minseok heard Jongdae say before he felt a hand settle on his shoulder. “Two fruits from the same tree may still roll down the hill in separate paths. We can clear your bloodline’s name if you want.”

The snow leopard snorts. “Who cares about some tarnished reputation? I can live with that knowing that I won’t feel guilty of someone else’s crimes.”

“Then why are you so adamant on一”

“I’m scared of harming you!” He finally cries, “Of harming any of you...”

He turns towards the horizon in shame. “I was just a merchant before all of this, an orphan even before that. I travelled across China looking for what I can call my place, yet the moment it was handed to me in a silver platter, the entire buffet was thrown out of the window the moment I was declared the Dragon Warrior.” He chuckles dryly, “But despite all the remarks and the mockery, I had fit in perfectly, as juxtaposed as it sounds.” 

“Having all of you merely noticing my presence was comforting enough, regardless of your intentions. But I fear that learning Kung Fu would open up the possibility of me hurting the one and only thing I can call my family. Tai Lung has done that before with the one he called his mentor and father. Twice.”

Minseok felt the hand tug at his shoulder, and he let himself turn towards the fox, yet he felt himself freeze in place the moment the other’s snout brushed over his. He hadn’t expected for him to be so close, but the firm hold on his arm tells him that this wasn’t a mistake.

As he gazed into the fox’s determined yellow eyes, he saw something spark in one of them for a moment, and so he’d gotten himself lost in them trying to find out what it was.

“Merchant, Dragon Warrior, whatever. It’s time you be who you want to be, Min. Do what you need to do.” A soft hand caressed his cheek and stopped only short of his nape. “Don’t let the shadows of your ancestors chain you to their past, and your thoughts do the same to your fears.”

With what little coherency he collected, Min mustered a short bob of his head before he heard Jongdae do another heavenly giggle. He was definitely looking like a fool in front of one of the most powerful Masters in all of China, but he didn’t care. As long as the light feeling in his chest continued, it was enou一

Both pairs of ears straightened as the dull ring of a gong sounded in the distance. As much as Minseok longed for the warmth that went missing after Jongdae removed his hand, it didn’t hold a candle to the dread that began filling him once he realized where the sound came from.

But with an arm suddenly snaking over his, he looked over to the fox, who gave him a comforting grin.” Let’s go save our valley.”
    
    
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Minseok turned around a second too late before he saw the bowed figure of an ox lumbering towards him before he barreled into the snow leopard, sending him through the air and crashing into an unoccupied house. At least he didn’t need to skitter around the area to find a hiding place anymore, right?

A tiny part in his mind berates this train of thought. The entire valley was being ransacked from all sides, every criminal and outcast running through the street with the sole intent of creating chaos and taking what they deem valuable. They had easily gotten an advantage with their second wave, and Minseok doubts that would be their last.

He should have gone with the rescue team with Suho and Baekhyun just like they asked him too, yet with the fleet of vultures and wild birds of prey, he was separated from the others and once again forced to take cover just like any other raid they had before. Only this time, he was running out of places to go to without possibly endangering the ones hidden alongside him. Some Dragon Warrior he turned out to be, really.

After getting his bearings, Minseok grimaced at his surroundings. He wasn’t a stranger to chaotic environments after spending months in the Scroll Room and the occasional storage room. Still, with the place looking uncannily similar to his own sleeping quarters, the urge to clean up was getting on his nerves.

Well, he might as well do so if he wasn’t going to fight.

Minseok tore the sheet from the ruined mat and began whipping the dust off with short tugs. The sound of soft rustling of the cloth overpowers the noise of the outside and, after a few more seconds of the repetitive motion, he melds into the action and lets his limbs do what they’ve been doing for days on end.

Soon, Minseok began to feel the ease return to his body moments after it started to take in what he was trying to do and, like clockwork, everything he seemed to be doing was his body on its own accord. He was finally feeling his inner peace.

Until a raider’s head broke through the bamboo wall.

“Dragon Warrior, what a surprise.”

It was the ox from before, a malicious grin plastered on his face as his horns gleamed maliciously in the morning light. But before Minseok could even comprehend what he was about to do, he threw the sheet over the raider’s horns and tugged on the bottom corners as a means to straighten it like before, but the action had led to the enemy’s head crashing to the ground with a loud thump.

Minseok looks at his paws in shock before flitting his gaze towards them and the unmoving raider hidden beneath the sheet. He...he did that, didn’t he?

But before he could even comprehend what was happening, the door burst open and two crocodiles entered with much flair, very immersed in their conversation before one of them took notice of the snow leopard. Eyes wide, he drops the sack full of stolen goods on the ground in fright before tapping the other’s shoulder. The other croc merely glances at Minseok before he lets out a guffaw.

“It’s the dragon who can’t fight.” The raider passed his sack to the other before picking up his mace with both clawed hands. “Let there be stories of the crocodile who kills the almighty Dragon Warrior with one swoop!”

Minseok ducks the upcoming blow and rolls away from the next one, taking in the small room in hopes of seeing an exit to squeeze through, to no avail. The snow leopard tries throwing whatever pieces of debris and items he placed his paws on at his attacker, but the latter just laughs as most of them bounce off his tough scales and armor.

“Poor, poor kitty.” The crocodile jeers, “It’s disheartening to see you ruin what little you’ve fixed up here. Is that what that Master Yixing taught you?”

With all the openings blocked and nowhere to run, the snow leopard took to his last resort and placed his right foot back before raising both his paws, his left outstretched in front of him while his right twisting in a ninety-degree angle almost beside his head. 

This was one of the stances he saw Master Yixing commonly do in the Scroll Room, but he’d just brushed it off as the High Master blocking the sunlight as he continued stacking the parchment in the alcoves, so, without anything else to do, he copied correctly a few days after. 

He’d never actually thought it would be used in this situation, which makes Minseok wonder how much “cleaning” the sheep was teaching was nothing more than removing dust off surfaces. But this had definitely confused the enemy for a moment, but it was not enough to deter him into backing down.

The crocodile was the first to advance, raising his weapon with a cry before sending it towards the snow leopard. Fortunately, Minseok reacted just in time and sidestepped away from the mace’s trajectory as if he were back in the Scroll Room and the landmines of pyramids he had taught himself to avoid before picking up a towel. 

Perplexed, he racks his mind for any ideas on using the piece of cloth while avoiding the blows of the crocodile, until a clothesline from outside caught his eye. Perhaps all those times washing and drying his own clothes as a traveling merchant would have another use after all. 

Without wasting a second for hesitation, Minseok held the opposite ends of the towel with both hands and began rotating it in one direction, much to the raider’s confusion. And taking it to his advantage, Minseok swerved to the other side and snapped the whip-like towel towards the crocodile’s foot, making him step back in shock.

“What is this-?”

The snow leopard didn’t waste any more time and snapped the towel towards the raider’s hand, making him yelp and fumble with his weapon before ultimately dropping it right on his foot. Letting out groans of pain and a string of colorful language, the crocodile cradles the offended part before facing his opponent.

“Oh, so that’s how you want to play!” He raises his fist, almost stumbling before regaining his balance. “Come at-!”

The towel travels through the air and hits the crocodile right on his snout, disorienting the raider just enough for Minseok to deliver the final blow with his paw that sends his opponent flying back to his companion and out of the house. Minseok glances back at his hands in shock. So it wasn’t just a ruse…

“There’s more of them coming from the North!”

The warning followed by a screech was undoubtedly from Kyungsoo, which snapped Minseok out of his trance and made him focus on the chaos happening outside. Glancing at the mace on the ground, he had half a mind to take it into whatever battle was out there, but 1) He doesn’t know how to wield that weapon, and 2) Even if he did, he doesn’t have the stamina or precision with that thing to even use it properly.

He’ll need a weapon that’s more lightweight, more familiar. He tries looking around the almost decimated room to find something that could meet his standards as the pressure of the ever-growing noise outside worsened. But just when he would have called it quits and picked the mace as his choice, a somewhat familiar object appeared in his line of vision, hidden beneath the broken frames and bamboo.

Perfect.

Picking it up, Minseok tightened his grip on the handle before exiting the house, only to be greeted by absolute disarray. Minseok took a once over to look at the mess the raiders managed to make at such a short period of time, before focusing on Chanyeol, who was getting overpowered by multiple hyenas. Taking a deep breath, it was now or never.

“Hey!”

All the tiny devils turned towards Minseok in sync, with Chanyeol managing to hit one of them in the snout just before turning along with them. Minseok pointed his weapon at them and stood his ground, yet all he got was wheezy laughs from about a dozen of them.

“A featha’ dusta’?” One of them asked incredulously, “What’re ya gonna do? Dust da fleas off our fur?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah! We’ll rip you to shreds, Dragon Warrior!”

Ignoring the mocking voices and yes men echoing the statement, Minseok closed his eyes and took on the same stance he had back in the house. “I’d like to see you try.”

The hyenas were upon him immediately. Minseok would have usually stumbled back in shock as the Cackle tries to overpower him. Still, as soon as he caught a glimpse of some of them trying to do the same to an already fatigued and frazzled Chanyeol, the snow leopard broke free from the layer of hyenas with a swipe of the duster.

With whatever ounce of strength he had left, Chanyeol managed to shake away biting devils and stun them with a resonating snarl before calling out to Minseok, only to find him shaking his ruffled duster wildly at the retreating troupe of hyenas, most of which were limping or bedraggled in some way that surprised the white tiger. 

Chanyeol watched in awe as Minseok picked the remaining enemies off of him one by one with motions as if he were just cleaning the dust off some shelves. Yet when he opens his mouth to ask for answers, he is once again forced to close it willingly when Minseok raises his hand.

“There’s too many of them to fend off.” He hits an approaching hyena with the butt of the duster without much of a glance. “Cutting off the snake’s head will be our only chance of winning this fight and getting rid of the raids permanently.”

“But how?”

Unfortunately, a gorilla’s triumphant cry followed by a familiar shriek had put Minseok into action before he could get an answer out to the other or even comprehend what was going on, ears darting around every direction to pinpoint their location. His heart was frightfully beating louder than ever, but it wasn’t for himself. 

Taking the duster’s handle in between his teeth, Minseok hopped on top of raider after raider before he settled on top of a roof, all four paws digging into the clay shingles once he saw the silverback raider towering over a fox, his fox.

Jongdae.

Minseok rips off the roof tiles with his bare paws before throwing it towards the gorilla with great precision as both projectiles hit its flat-nosed face, just enough to stun the large opponent and send him stumbling back into a cart. Leaping from his vantage point, Minseok shoots through the air until he lands on his paws before the rising gorilla, a guttural snarl escaping his throat as he shields the wounded fox behind him. The gorilla’s eyes widened.

“Dragon Warrior-?”

Minseok immediately pounced on the raider and struck the side of its head with the feather duster, before dropping to the ground to sweep the big guy off his feet in a matter of moments. Once a moment or two passes with the raider unmoving on the broken cart, he takes deep breaths before turning towards Jongdae, who seems to be similarly shocked as all the others he met during this battle.

“And the dragon took flight,” He tilts his head. “Since when?”

“When I found out what I needed to do,” He takes Jondae’s paw in his. “And who I’d do it for.”

Unfortunately, Minseok didn’t get to hear Jongdae’s reply as his ears twitched in alarm when the sound of cracking wood and heavy thumps sounded behind him. But just as he turned around to block his attack, Jongdae was already upon the gorilla, tail mid-hit on its face before it fell, this time, for good.

“What a surprise,” Jongdae’s ears flick playfully as he wraps his arms around Minseok’s neck, noses touching gently. “I’ve also found mine today.”

“Retreat!”

The gravelly voice booming through the air broke them apart in a matter of seconds, both masters shifting their ears and looking around to locate where it came from. As much as Minseok’s tail whipped distastefully at the outcry, they still had a raid leader to apprehend. 

Spotting the graying lizard’s tail disappearing from the street’s farthest corner, the Dragon Warrior gave a knowing look to Jongdae before sharing a nod. Picking up his feather duster, Minseok glances at what’s left of the broken cart and quickly places a piece of plywood over the prone gorilla’s arm to make an impromptu lever.

The snow leopard settles on one end of the wood, all fours and poised to strike with his tail holding up his weapon. “Send me up!”

The snow leopard wasn’t sure what he had expected, but whatever force Jongdae mustered up on the other end of the board was enough to send him above the roofs of the village, and then some. Eyes wide, he fumbled in the air for a moment before his focus was then turned to the crocodile dragging a sizeable brown sack across the streets.

His frightened expression immediately steeled into determination before his tail threw the duster forward. Giving one great kick to its feathered top, Minseok watches with a bated breath as the object whizzes through the air, similar to that of an arrow, before impaling it’s bamboo handle straight in the brown sack and pinning it on the stone ground.

Right on target.

Minseok hadn’t realized he was back on solid ground until he found himself running to the street Kroc was in, Jongdae just a tail’s breadth behind him. Twitching his ears around him, he was hyper-aware of Chanyeol’s roar and Baekhyun’s screech not far off to the right and Kyungsoo’s familiar wing-flaps out ahead with Suho undoubtedly on his back, the owl cooing as a warning for their retreating enemy to concede.

They were in this together, from the start to the very end. Perhaps this was what Master Yixing was implying all along. Solitude was the only constant he had for most of his life, and with his known history, he thought he would have had it until the rest of it. But with the help of Jongdae and the others, he realized that even he deserved companionship.

Turning to the penultimate corner before their target, he leaps on an upturned cart and back on the roof before using all his strength into speed, reaching the struggling Kroc as he gave it all of his power to remove the duster from his bag. The raid leader dares to turn back once to see the Dragon Warrior’s pouncing form before he yelps as he is pinned underneath it.

“D-Dragon Warrior,” He coughed out, “You-you can fight? Tales spoke of how you refused to even enter the training grounds, what did that sheep _teach_ you?!”

Minseok cheekily swipes the tail on the crocodile’s snout. “To clean.”
    
    
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“Would you look at that.”

Minseok fits the batch’s final scroll inside the alcove before hopping down from the highest shelves, landing in front of the grinning fox with a smile of his own. The ache of his legs from having been in that position for a couple of hours immediately dissipated the moment Jongdae wrapped his tail around the snow leopard and pulled him into a hug, the latter melting into the embrace almost immediately.

“I thought you’re going to the Training Hall.” 

Minseok hears the pout in Jongdae’s voice and chuckles. “I would have if this place wasn’t a mess for most of the time. Besides,” He purposefully brushes his tail across Jongdae’s snout. “I wouldn’t have such a handsome chaperone walking me over there.”

The subsequent whines that came after his teasing remark made Minseok chuckle even more, but instead of letting him go to sulk in the corner, Jongdae hugs him even tighter, voice muffled in the snow leopard’s thick fur.

“Do you really think of me as such, kitten?”

Minseok blushes at the pet name, and now it was Jongdae’s turn to laugh as the other pulls away in favor of placing another batch of the cylindrical documents in their designated places as he tries his best to tame his twitchy tail. 

“We’d get there much faster if you helped, you know.” Rolling his eyes, the Dragon Warrior throws a scroll at the giggling fox in a weak attempt to get him to stop, yet the other catches it just in time.

“Then it wouldn’t just be the scrolls going in holes if I did, now would it?”

Minseok does a double-take at this, turning around as he tries to sputter a comeback of his own, only to step back on a scroll and slip. The tinkling laughter heightened in volume as Minseok felt hands supporting him from behind, no doubt belonging to the fox. Without the worry of falling flat on his back, he then focuses on covering his head to protect himself from the barrage of scrolls he had just let go of, only to feel a strong breeze and other voices in return.

“Jongdae, I swear to Master Oogway, you won’t hear the end of it if you taint this sacred place.”

Looking up, Minseok sees the rest of the Five standing before them, all holding the scrolls he had just been carrying a few moments ago. The snow leopard feels Jongdae shift behind him so that his arms were now wrapped around his torso with no intention of letting go.

“As if you weren’t thinking of doing the same thing with the wolf diplomat of Gongchan City.” Jongdae responds, a sly grin on his face as the leader’s face brightens. “Sehun, was it?”

Suho huffed, lowering his ears to hide his face in them. “At least _I_ don’t go saying ‘Oh, I’m just going for a fly’ before giving cookies to the bear dancer in the village.”

Eyes wide, Minseok glances at Kyungsoo for a possible refutation from him, only to get a dismissive shrug and a “he’s a friend” in return, though the ruffled feathers on his neck shows that this bear was more than just that. He abruptly squawks as Baekhyun wraps his arms (note: both pairs) around the owl with a gleeful hum.

“Our Kyungie’s finally courting someone!” He cries, “Just remember not to do what Yeollie did when we were on our early一” 

“Alright! Why are we here in the first place?” Chanyeol cut off, ripping the monkey away from Kyungsoo with a short huff. “Is there something wrong?”

“Why must something be wrong for all of us to meet?”

The Dragon Warrior and the Five immediately straightened as Master Yixing walked into view, a fond smile on his face as he calmly walks into the room. He scans the neat alcoves briefly before turning back to the bowing men.

“The townspeople will be holding a feast in celebration of the raid leader's capture." He then glances at Minseok. "I know you're still adjusting to our traditions, but it would be lovely for all of you to attend.”

Suddenly, all heads turn towards the Dragon Warrior, awaiting his decision with bated breath. Minseok jokingly tilts his head upwards as if he was giving it a thought, before turning to the High Master to mirror his joyful expression with a nod.

The Scroll Room erupts in cheers at Minseok’s final resolve and, not before long, the snow leopard finds himself at the bottom of a dog pile. Chuckling, Minseok relished in the warmth overflowing in his system as he playfully tried pulling himself out of the base, only to freeze as lips suddenly met his cheek. Turning to his side, his blue and yellow orbs met with Jongdae’s golden ones as their noses brushed together, right before Minseok closed the gap between their lips.

Family tree be damned, he'll be the fruit to start a new one.

  
  
  
  



End file.
